Ayyy, Teach!
by Am I REALLY writing fanficion
Summary: Gangsters become pranksters AU! Cody Balfour is the new student instructor to St. Reginald's literature teacher, Chad Adkins. Nic and Worick are little sh-ts in their last semester of high school who prank him relentlessly. High School AU, NicXCody. GANGSTA.
1. The Beginning

The Beginning

Cody Balfour carefully parked his horribly out-of-place and beat up car in the already full parking lot. His spot was nearly as far as possible from his destination, but he hardly minded - after all, the rest of the lot was lined with crisp and expensive looking vehicles that put his humble 1990s Chevrolet to shame. Sitting motionless, hands still gripping the wheel, Cody began to psych himself up.

"Alright, stud. You can do this. You can do this! Even Shawn Brumder - or was it Shane Brainer..? - doesn't matter- even HE couldn't get this job. The only one who is qualified for this position is you! " Cody had just winked devilishly in the mirror at himself to finish his mantra, when he heard a rough, airy laugh from a distance. Standing on the sidewalk just outside of the parking lot, a handsome but short looking young man with black hair was staring straight through Cody's windshield, and into his face. Could this kid have heard what he was saying to himself? He was standing pretty far away… there's no way, right? Before Cody could make any move to save face, the kid smirked at him and turned forward to continue ahead.

Cody put his face in his hands, burning from the embarrassment. After a few moments, he began to mumble to himself in a voice he _was sure_ no one would hear.

"It's fine! It's totally cool. You're chill, Balfour. After all, that kid was at least 15 feet away. There's no way he could hear you! He was probably just laughing that I was talking to myself, but everyone does that. Besides, as handsome as he was, I'll probably - _hopefully-_ never see that guy again!"

Finally, and with an ancient determination, Cody creaked out of his near-fetal position. He gathered his papers in the passenger seat and straightened them out with deliberation, then set them in his briefcase. He checked his hair in the mirror, glanced at his watch (not a second early, as usual), straightened his tie, tested his breath, and took a large gulp of air. At long last, Cody stepped out of the car. Opening the back door, he fished out the briefcase, and gathered three boxes filled with books - precariously balancing them one on top the other. Guestimating where the door was, he slammed it shut with his foot, and stood forward with faux confidence.

Cody squinted at the imposing building before him. It was a brick laid boarding school for boys that had been standing for over a century. Shrouded in tradition and a posh atmosphere, the picturesque architecture seemed to egotistically announce that _this_ was a school for the elite. Despite the modern day and age Cody belonged to, he secretly hoped for a timeless and edifying place of higher learning that engaged diligent students who took their work seriously.

Boy, he could not have been more wrong.

* * *

Standing before a class of about 20 apathetic high school senior boys, Cody tried to conceal his nervousness. He began, "Hello everyone! My name's-" but before he could finish his sentence- he heard a small airy chuckle from the back of the classroom.

The same young man from before was staring at him, laughter in his eyes. Cody's mind went blank for a half a second- the only remaining thought being ' _Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god.'_ After the brief silence, he smiled as hard as he could and continued, relying on autopilot with the introduction he had practiced over and over for the past week.

"My name is Cody Balfour", Cody turned to the chalkboard behind him and wrote 'MR. BALFOUR' in large and slightly sloppy letters. "I'm a student teacher. I'm going to be your main instructor in this classroom starting tomorrow, and for the remainder of this school year. Your regular teacher, Mr. Adkins, will be supervising, so you won't have to say goodbye to dear old Chad just yet." A few of the boys laughed at his joke. Reassured, Cody chuckled and continued. "I look forward to getting to know you all." He smiled and directed a mental addition to the boy in the back, ' _except for you, handsome-but-short squirt. Leave me be'._

Most of the boys nodded or grunted a welcome, and Cody gave a short, respectful bow. He then retreated to the empty desk that was his. Chad Adkins, his new co-worker and boss, began the arduous task of filling glassy eyed boys with literature. Cody began to set up his workspace, allowing for his heart to return to a normal rate. If it hadn't been for that bumpy start in the car, he would be a little less nervous. ' _It's going to be totally fine though,'_ he thought with a smug grin, ' _you've been a great student teacher everywhere else so far, and this is your last semester before you can become a full-time teacher! Plus, if those whispered conversations in the hallways were any indicator, you're not bad with the high school girl's, are you? Not that's any reason to be proud…'_ He shook his head- ' _anyway, this will be totally great!'_

Task completed, Cody snuggled back into his chair and picked up one of his numerous pieces of literature he had brought with him and dove in. He was in the midst of taking notes and preparing for his first lesson when the shuffling of feet and bags indicated that the class was over. Cody smiled charmingly as the boys filed past him, and a few smiled back. The last one out of the classroom was the young man from earlier. Before Cody could look away or otherwise busy himself, the boy smirked at him and flicked a crumpled up scrap of yellow paper square between Cody's eyes.

"Hey!-" Cody began, standing up. The boy stuck his tongue out and escaped through the classroom door, running and laughing as he caught up with his friend who left before him - a boy with white hair and an eyepatch.

"That'd be Nicolas Brown." Chad said with a smile in his voice. "Him and Worick Arcangelo… you better watch out for those two. They like to give people the go around."

"I can already tell he's a brat…" Cody said, rubbing the spot between his eyes. "What do you mean, 'the go around'?" He looked yellow paper in hand.

"Oh you know, teasing and pranks. Mostly harmless. You just gotta be heavy handed is all." Chad said, ruffling Cody's hair. ' _Rude.',_ Cody thought. ' _You may be old enough to be my dad, but I'm still an adult. A 22 year old adult.'_

"Heavy-handed?" Cody grimaced. Usually his charm and teaching skills were enough to gain respect from anyone who was willing to learn. He's never had to be heavy-handed before.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it." Chad said, rubbing the stubble on his chin. "What you should worry about, are these." Chad plopped a mountain of papers onto Cody's desk. "These all need to be graded, like, yesterday. I'm going out early to eat dinner with my dear wife. Enjoy yourself!" Smiling, Chad grabbed his bag and wasted no time escaping, leaving Cody dumbfounded.

"Dammit, old-man!" Cody said as he looked through the papers. Some of the assignments were dated from _months_ ago. "Surely Chad hasn't been waiting for me to arrive just to avoid grading… right? Besides, this is just the start of the semester… these really should have been entered, like, yesterday!" Cody crumpled and uncrumpled the yellow note in agitation. He was just about to begin grading his mountain of papers, when he realized there was something written on the note from Nicolas. In an untidy cursive-esque scrawl, Nic had written:

" _I saw what you said this morning in your car. Cute."_

Cody sat in confusion and annoyance. "Is this harassment?" Throwing the note away promptly, he couldn't manage to shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of an exhausting semester at St. Reginalds.


	2. Intermission

Intermission

Nicolas Brown, a high school senior of St. Reginald's boarding school for boys, sat anxiously in his desk at the back of his class. He was staring intently at the class's student teacher, Cody Balfour, who was in the middle of a lesson about rhetoric and it's uses. Cody had been teaching at St. Reginald's for little over a month, and had acclimated quickly to the new environment, despite a few… 'wrenches' Nic and his friend Worick had thrown into the loop. Though Nicolas couldn't hear the expression in Cody's voice, he could tell from the light in his eyes and the gestures made by his hands that Cody was excited about teaching this topic.

' _He's pretty cute when he's teaching.'_ Nic absentmindedly thought. Nic's new favorite toy was Cody Balfour, for a lot of reasons. He had seen Cody talking to himself in his car on his first day on the job, and couldn't help but laugh by Cody's bizarre flustered yet bold nature. And when Cody stumbled into Nic's literature class, turning out to be his own student teacher... well, Nicolas couldn't help but be intrigued. Besides, Nic and Worick's long-term substitute science teacher had recently quit because of their shenanigans, so they were already in need of a new guinea pig. It was a perfect storm.

Chad Adkins, the primary instructor of the classroom, was in charge of supervising Cody's teaching. He was currently reclined in his chair with his feet on his desk and his hands behind his head. Chad had been in this position, quietly dozing, for the past 30 minutes. Out of the corner of Nic's eye, he saw Chad Adkins stifle a yawn, and stretch his arms as he sat up, eyes still drooping. Worick, who was sitting directly on Nicolas' right, flicked his eyes towards Nic. Cody pretended to ignore the discourtesy on Chad's part, and continued with the lesson. Nicolas leaned his cheek on his propped up hand and sighed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Chad interrupted the lesson in a nearly undetectable way. He subtly tapped on his desk twice with a pen. Cody to looked at him while continuing to teach. Tipping his head to the side, Chad pointed his thumb behind him towards the window. Though most of the other boys in the classroom did not notice this tiny blip, Nicolas observed and knew exactly what Chad was asking for. It happened every day at about 1:20. Chad was signaling to Cody that he was going to leave him in the classroom to "get some fresh air" (in other words, to smoke a cigarette). Cody, as always, looked the other way (with a slight and understandable expression of worry), and continued with the lesson. Nic watched as Chad got up, slid on his jacket, and walked behind the projector to get to the door.

After about 5 minutes, Nicolas motioned " _Hey_ " under his desk in a way he knew would catch the corner his companions eye. When his attention was secured, Nicolas smirked and motioned "watch this". Nicolas stood up, staring straight at Cody's shocked face. He gripped the edge of his desk (Which was connected to his seat) and near-silently picked it up, pivoted it 180, and sat down again to face the back of the classroom. Worick followed suit without a moment of hesitation. After a few seconds of scattered snickers from around the classroom, waves of other classmates emulated this action. Within 45 seconds, the entire classroom was facing the opposite direction of the teacher.

Nicolas tilted his head infinitesimally to watch his favorite subject from the corner of his vision.

"H-hey, wait guys! I'm not done with the lesson yet- Mr. Adkins will be back soon!" The student teacher whispered loudly. Cody was clearly flustered. He desperately flapped his hands around, face flushed, trying to get the classrooms attention. The classroom was now completely overcome with stifled laughter. Nicolas himself couldn't help but giggle a little bit.

Before Nicolas could wipe the mirth from his face, Cody looked directly at him. The expression on his face wasn't what Nic expected. Cody wasn't annoyed or frustrated, or even disappointed. The look was that of pure panic. Nicolas was suddenly filled with several conflicting emotions. He was still immensely proud of his on-the-fly prank, and he enjoyed the attention he had gotten from his classmates. And, for some unknown reason, Nic couldn't help but blush at how adorably flustered Cody was. But, beyond these emotions, Nic was still surprised that without any warning, he felt...lousy.

' _What the hell?'_ He thought to himself. Before he could even begin to sort anything out in his head, Chad Adkins had returned. He stood in the doorway in shock at the spectacle, and the classroom went silent. Cody was the only one making any noise, hastily trying to explain what happened. Chad Adkins left as soon as he came in.

Some of the boys had started turning their desks back in shame but suddenly stopped. Nicolas couldn't tell why. Some of Nic's classmates began laughing under their breath. Looking at Worick, Nic raised his eyebrow.

"Mr. Adkins is _laughing_ outside the classroom _._ " Worick whispered, trying not to crack up. "Really loud, too."  
Nicolas whipped his head back around to see Cody's reaction. He was no longer panicked, but instead was leaning against the wall, clutching one arm to his body as he looked out the window. Nicolas couldn't quite decipher the new expression on Cody's face, which really pissed Nicolas off. He was usually an expert at perceiving the smallest details in a persons countenance. Even though Cody was no longer showing that face of pure panic, Nic still felt lousy.

Chad Adkins returned, with a look of faux seriousness on his face. "Alright boys, that's enough. Leave the poor guy alone." Everyone immediately turned their desks around, and a few of the boys let out a feeble "..Sorry, sir."

" Mr. Balfour, please resume your lesson." Cody nodded once, and went back into his lesson without pause. The only thing that was different, Nic noticed, was the light in his eyes and the excitement in his gestures was gone. No longer interested, Nic instead turned to face the window, effectively severing all ties with the lesson.

* * *

' _Why do I feel this way?'_ Nicolas thought to himself. The past 4 years of high school had been spent pranking other boys and teachers with Worick. The duo had even shown a high aptitude for shenanigans in middle school as well. Besides, this certainly wasn't the first prank he had pulled on Cody, either.

Nicolas mentally analyzed the pranks he and Worick had pulled the last 4 weeks, and what made this last-minute improvised prank different. There were the pranks that ranged from elementary (poking holes in the bottom of Cody's plastic water bottle when he wasn't looking), to the incredibly involved (getting the entire class in on a made up character from a reading assignment). All these antics were incredibly hilarious, Nic thought, and neither of them had affected Cody in the way that today's had. Well… Cody _was_ horribly confused when many of the warm up journals for the day listed "Todd Wadley" as their favorite and most important character from "To Kill a Mockingbird". But that was just funny! ' _Cody even laughed along with the class afterwards...'_ Nic thought, ' _What did I do differently this time?'_

There were some pranks that were even more insulting, like when Nic wrote a warm-up journal that he had Worick share entitled "Top Ten Reasons why Student Teachers are Stupid and Gross". It definitely wasn't his best work, but the joke went across extremely well, and even Cody laughed at it. There were some pranks that were just plain annoying, like when Nic got the whole class to click their pens any time Cody spoke. And pranks that were embarrassing, like that one time where Worick and Nic snuck in before class and planted ladies underthings (lovingly supplied from one of Worick's many girlfriends) under Cody's papers, his laptop, in drawers, or any likely-to-be-uncovered location.

' _Okay, that prank was just...good.'_ Nic couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought about it. ' _And Cody was so flustered every time he found another bra! It was kind of...cute.'_

These were only a handful of the near-daily pranks that Nic amused himself with. Nic turned it over in his mind again, and realized that the difference could have come from deliberately waiting until Chad Adkins left the room. Though Nicolas had not meant anything specific about it, other than to get the maximum amount of desks turned around before the antics stopped, Cody could have perceived it differently. ' _God, I hope not...'_ Class was dismissed before Nic could consider this option further.

* * *

Nicolas attempted to exit quickly, without making any eye contact with Cody, but was still stopped by Mr. Adkins. This happened about half the time he and Worick did something stupid, but for the first time, Nicolas felt uneasy about it.

"Alright son, I think you need to speak with Mr. Balfour about this one." Chad winked at him, and exited the room. It was just Cody and Nicolas.

Cody let out a sigh and scratched his head. "I wish he didn't do that…" A silence stretched for a moment and Nic felt even smaller than his 5' 5" frame normally made him feel.

"I guess… you just went a little too far this time, right? You didn't mean anything by it, I'm sure." Cody said, half to himself, and half to Nic.

"Yeah…" Nic said in his uncouth voice, hoarse from disuse. He hated using it, which is why he usually had Worick do the talking. "I didn't think you would be hurt." Nic couldn't help but turn a little bit red by this statement… he hated feeling so vulnerable. In a fist fight, Nic would win hands down. Using verbal words… was a little more difficult for him.

To Nic's astonishment, Cody smiled. "Hurt? Hardly. Panicked is all! What if the superintendent walked by, then what? My career would be finished before I could even pack my bags." Nic frowned at his thoughtlessness. So long as Chad was there, any shenanigans would be cleared up immediately, but an inexperienced student teacher had less leeway.

"I guess that's all then. Thanks for making the classroom a place of enjoyment for the other young men." Cody laughed and added, "You're a surprisingly intelligent writer, when you steer clear of all the dick jokes."

After Nic recovered from the surprise, he chuckled as well. "More pranks?" He said, with a smirk on his face.

"More pranks." Cody affirmed. They laughed together, and Cody ruffled Nic's hair. Nicolas couldn't help but blush at Cody's gentle touch. They parted, Nic feeling in much higher spirits.

* * *

Outside the classroom, Nic was surprised to find Worick leaning against the wall, smoking. Worick was the only one Nic knew who was ballsy enough to smoke inside the corridors. They began walking to their next class they were already late for.

" _Put that out. If your dad finds out, which he will, you'll be finished."_ Nic signed, feigning indifference. Though Nicolas pretended to be aloof, he hated seeing Worick 'fall down' so frequently.

"Never mind that. What the hell are you so red for?" Worick said with a face so smug, it could have been seen for miles.

Nic stopped dead in his tracks, mind racing. After a second, he continued on as if nothing happened. " _It's nothing, it's nothing. Just hot in that tiny room is all."_

"Uh huh…" Worick wasn't buying it at all. "You sure it has nothing to do with the 'totally dreamy' student teacher? You know, Cody Balfour? The one that for _some reason_ you can't resist paying all your attention to 24/7?" Worick laughed at Nic's face of disgust. "I've never seen you so involved in messing around with a teacher before. Usually I lead."

" _I'm going to vomit if you keep talking about this."_ Nic put his hands behind his head and leaned back. Worick finished his cigarette and they walked in silence the remainder of the way to their next class.

As convincing as Nicolas looked, Worick was not buying his indifference. They had been together for the past 8 years, and this was the first time Worick had seen Nic show genuine interest in someone, male or female. Worick smiled to himself. ' _I wonder how long Nic can pretend he's not in love.'_


	3. The Plot Thickens

The Plot Thickens

Cody Balfour was slumped at his desk. It was about 10:00 at night. His office and adjoining apartment were located on the vast property held by St. Reginald's, and he had long since completed moving in. Though he was only a student teacher now, if the last months of the school year went well, there was a possibility the chairman would hire him back for the next year.

Despite Cody's excellent work ethic, he couldn't help but absentmindedly stare through space as he spun a pen around his thumb. Cody had already finished preparing for the lesson on Monday, but he was avoiding grading the papers Chad Adkins had dumped on him earlier that day. Even if Chad was the real teacher of the class, it still pissed Cody the hell off.

"I don't think that geezer's graded a single paper since the beginning of the school year." Cody mumbled aloud to himself, an unfortunate habit that had embarrassed him somewhat frequently in the past. About two months had passed since he began work as a student teacher at St. Reginald's (a boarding school for boys), and yet still Chad somehow kept finding ungraded papers to foist off to the inexperienced instructor.

"Agh! I've just about had it with these papers! Every day, more and more. They keep getting dated from earlier in the school year - soon enough they'll be from September! Do those kids even have any grades entered?" Fuming, Cody stabbed his pen into the corner of a paper, waiting to be graded. Feeling tired and crabby, Cody continued his tirade. "The school lunches are awful too. The morning assemblies are always a massive joke. And those two bratty dorks..." Cody propped his chin up on the desk and stared at the nib of his pen. Cody was, of course, referring to Nicholas Brown and Worick Arcangelo, two high school seniors that managed to turn every literature class Cody had with them into a frat party.

"What am I saying…" He sighed, tipped his head to the side, and smiled wearily. Cody couldn't believe he was forgetting how important this job was, and how good it had been to him already. Deciding to tear himself from the negative thoughts, he started listing any reason he could think to be satisfied with his job. "It really, really is awesome here… I mean, all those students call you Mr. Balfour. How cute is that? Plus most of them respect you sort of, which is a relief." Cody had been very anxious that he would become the running joke to all the bratty rich boys who attended the school. His expectations had successfully been broken, however, as many of the boys ended up being fairly amusing and sympathetic.

"That old man is pretty fun to work with too, even if he dumps all the busy work on you. Besides - you get to immerse yourself in literature every day." Cody yawned. "You just spent the last three hours annotating readings, and being paid for it too. Which, speaking of, the pay isn't anything to sneeze at either...for a teaching job." He trailed off, lost in thought. "And, I guess...Nicolas isn't so bad either… he's kind of cute."

Cody started to drift off, his eyelids becoming heavy. Mumbling now, Cody spoke in a softer voice. "He makes things interesting...at least. I wonder what he thinks of me?" Before Cody could investigate the thought further, he fell fast asleep.

* * *

Cody woke with a start to the sun streaming onto his face, tie still loosely fastened to his neck from yesterday, and an ungraded paper stuck to his face. Despite it being a Saturday, Cody had slept in longer than he usually would.

"I haven't fallen asleep while studying like that in ages…" Cody yawned himself awake. "Brings me back to college pretty quick." Cody sleepily walked to the shower and stripped, not bothering to put his clothes in his hamper. He was in the middle of singing a long and passionate love ballad when he heard a knock at the apartment's door. Ignoring it, he sung on (though quieter), and finished up his shower. The knock came again, this time impatiently. Someone called through the door.

"Mr. Balfour! I need your help!" Cody was surprised at the familiar voice, filled with distress, and ran to the door. Cody only stopped to slide on a pair of light blue boxers and sling his towel over his neck.

Cody slammed the door open. "Worick? What is it?" Worick was a little surprised at his student teacher's appearance (especially Cody's unexpected abs). "This better not be another stupid pran-" Before he could finish his sentence, Cody realized Worick was trembling, and his remaining eye was blackened alongside numerous other bruises and scrapes. "Oh God, what happened?"

"O-of course it's not a prank! It's about Nicolas… he's going to do something really stupid!" Though Cody knew Nicolas and Worick were close friends, it was surreal to see this side of the usually unbearable smart-alec named Worick. At the mention of Nicolas, Cody clenched the door handle tighter.

"Explain to me what's happening. Let's just stay calm, alright?" Cody motioned for Worick to come in, and then went to the business of getting dressed. "Keep talking."

"Well…" Worick began nervously, gingerly touching his eyepatch. "My... dad and I have never exactly been on the best of terms…" Cody could tell this wasn't a topic Worick talked about often. He glanced at Worick's bruises suspiciously.

"Hold on- you do know that as a teacher I have the responsibility to report any and all suspicions of abuse to the administrator, right?" Cody said with concern, as he began buttoning up his shirt.

Worick looked up at Cody, disgust in his eyes. "What do you do when the top administrator is my father? Then what do you do?"

"Chairman… Arcangelo?" Cody's eyes widened when he realized the connection. How had he not realized that earlier? "I… don't know what I'd do then…" Cody eventually conceded. "But… how does this involve Nicolas?"

Worick sighed. "I… well… my family may be ridiculously wealthy, but Nicolas'… isn't." Worick avoided Cody's gaze. "The only reason he can even afford to come to this school is because my father allows him. And… father only allowed _that_ to happen because I promised to keep quiet about, well, _things._ " Worick swallowed and clenched his fist. "But, last night, father found out about Nicholas's pranks… sounds like a passing janitor reported him. Father called me to his office and informed me he would be throwing Nicolas out of the school the next morning, just to rub it in." Worick looked down in loathing.

Cody, who had been listening as calmly as he could, halted at this statement. "It's almost the end of the year though. He can't do that."

"He _can,_ though. And I could tell that… the bastard meant 'thrown out' as in preventing Nic from graduating _at all_ , even if he went elsewhere!" Worick slammed his fist on the table. "Well, I… I heard this and, well, I snapped… kind of. I mean, most of the time the pranks are my doing! It's only now with you that Nicolas pays special attention…" Cody blinked for a second longer at this information. "And… that's where all this came from." Worick gestured to his swollen eye. He laughed bitterly. "I know better than to fight, but I couldn't help myself. Without me… Nico has nothing." Worick clenched his jaw.

"So Nicolas is in trouble, as in… he's going to be expelled?" Cody straightened out his tie carefully as he considered this. While it wasn't fair any way you looked at it, the _most_ concerning of the matter, was that of preventing Nicolas from graduating _anywhere._ Cody considered it further. This was especially damning for a disabled person in the ableist society they unfortunately lived in. Not having a high school degree would be life or death for his student.

Worick interrupted his thoughts. "No. If that was all, it would maybe be okay…"

Cody turned sharply to Worick. "What? What else is the matter?"

"Nicolas woke up in the dorm to seeing me like this… and I think he went after my father to fight." Worick looked pale. Cody was suddenly filled with an indescribable feeling of anger. Yanking on his hideously argoyal socks with seething rage, Cody hissed at Worick.

"As if being expelled wasn't enough, the idiot thinks he can get away with making an ass of himself like this too? When I get around to grading those papers, I'll fail him so hard he'll have to return to the second grade!" Cody hastily put on his jacket and headed to the door.  
"Where are you going? It's not like we can do anything!" Worick shouted. " My father will kick _you_ out of the school too! I was only telling you, so we could patch him up afterwards!"

Cody whipped around to face Worick. "I'm not going to just sit around when I know what that idiot is going to do. Come on, I'll do the talking." With Worick in tow, Cody stormed across campus to the center administrator's office.


	4. The Plot Gets Thicker

The Plot Gets Thicker

Cody couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was pooling in the pit of his stomach and approaching his lungs fast.

"When I get my hands on that brat… as if his daily antics weren't enough to cause me grief..!" Cody said to himself. Worick, who was struggling to keep up with Cody's jogging, was surprised to see dread and worry etched into Cody's features plainly.

"Mr. Balfour! You really shouldn't do this- you could lose your job! Nicolas would be crushed if that happened to you!" Worick was starting to get really worried. "Never mind about Nicolas' _physical_ well being now, what about his mental well being if that happens? And being unable to graduate on top of that…"

"Well that bastard should have thought about that before he made such an idiotic decision." Cody's raw determination leaked through every word, and Worick dropped trying to dissuade him.

Worick nodded. "Alright. Let's get that idiot."

In silence the pair approached the center building. Catching their breath, Cody opened the outer door and motioned towards the direction of the Chairman's office.

"This way, right?" Cody asked.

Worick paused, clutching at his eye patch, and nodded. The two walked with purpose towards the office.

Cody and Worick approached the door with care. Cody pressed his ear to the wall, and was relieved to hear a familiar coarse voice faintly through the wall.

"-tired of playing your meaningless games! Worick will never stand up to you, but I've had enough!" Cody could feel Nicolas' rage seeping through the wall. Worick rested his head on the wall and closed his eyes.

"That idiot..." Worick mumbled. Cody pressed his ear to the wall harder and strained to hear the chairman's snake-like voice.

"You know, you should really learn how to not jumble up your words like that. I can tell you're angry, but I still have no idea what about." The chairman said with mirth oozing from his words. Cody felt anger drip down his throat and pool up into his fists.

"I'm going to kill him!" Worick hissed. Cody instinctively reached behind him and held Worick stationary.

"Just wait… maybe Nicolas won't do anything stupid. We have to let him use his voice." Cody crouched, looking desperately at the door handle. He didn't find it likely, but Nicolas was using his voice before his fists, and Cody knew he couldn't interrupt quite yet.

After a moment of silence from inside the room, the Chairman continued. "It's still a wonder to me you have the grades you do. The teachers probably go easy on you because of your simple nature. I should really hold a meeting about that. We must treat everyone equally, you know." The chairman laughed.

Cody clenched his fist and couldn't stop himself from mumbling. "...he has no idea how intelligent Nic is." Nothing pissed Cody off more than adults robbing kids of their potential.

"Worick can't tell people about what you're doing to him, but I can, and I will..!" Nicolas sounded murderous.

"You? Don't make me laugh!" The chairman laughed anyway. "You can't even communicate without slurring two words together. Your speech sounds you've got a mouth full of gravel! You really think anyone will listen to you?" Nicolas was silent. Cody could tell Worick was struggling not to bust into the room right then and there.

Chairman Arcangelo continued. " _Wallace_ … doesn't tell people about our… disagreements, of his own free will."

"I hate when he calls me that... and that's a straight up lie." Worick hissed without hesitation. Cody looked at him with discomfort. This kid had been through a lot, and all Cody ever noticed was his obnoxious, frivolous side.

"I don't give a damn what that illegitimate child says about me. He's only a bastard child, and that's all he'll ever be."

Worick clutched at Cody's arm. "Now he's just trying to get him riled up! Mr. Balfour, we _have_ to go in." Cody shook his head but shuffled closer to the door nonetheless.

"Wallace is only a piece of worthless trash that I keep around out of the kindness of my heart." The chairman said with cruelty piercing every word. "I couldn't care less if he lives or dies."

Before a second could pass, there was a large crash, a shatter, and a chilling laugh that could only have come from Nicolas. Without hesitation, Cody burst into the room.

The scene that laid before Cody was chaos. A chair and coffee table had been knocked over, with flowers and water strewn in a large splatter across the floor. A smashed vase and a flurry of papers lined the ground near the large desk that sat center stage of the room. Amidst the discord, Nicolas Brown crouched atop the desk with the chairman's collar clenched in his hand.

Cody had never before seen such a savage expression. Nicolas' eyes glinted with a murderous look, and the smirk that was on his face was bone chilling. Nicolas looked over at the intrusion and his eyes widened in shock at the sight of the young student teacher. Before either Nic or Cody could react, the moment of distraction proved to be a misstep, as the chairman managed to grab a paperweight off his desk and strike Nic across the face with it. Nic tumbled off the desk and clutched his face, curling up in pain.

Cody rushed to Nic and knelt beside him. Though Nic was facing the other way, Cody could see that Nicolas' nose was gushing with blood, and that a large welt was forming on his right temple.

The chairman walked around his desk gingerly, and stepped on Nicolas' right forearm in cruelty.

"I was just going to expel you, but I think we ought to have some fun first." The chairman placed more pressure on Nicolas' forearm, and Cody heard a crack. Nicolas let out a yelp.

"Get your filthy feet off of him, you bastard!" Worick ran straight at his father and knocked him over. Cody used this opportunity to gather Nicolas up in his arms. Cody watched Worick throw punch after punch at the chairman.

Finally, Cody coolly murmured to Worick. "Get off of your father." Worick looked up at Cody in anger.

"What the hell! You saw what he did! I've been waiting my whole life to _finally_ stick it to him!" The Chairman was, for the moment disabled, but Cody could see him beginning to recover.

' _I may only be a few years older than these young men, but I have to assume responsibility.'_ Cody thought to himself, fighting the fluster that was clouding his mind. He decided to ignore Worick's statement. "Mr. Arcangelo." Cody looked down into the man's eyes with disgust. "I will be back presently to discuss the actions of my students. In the meantime, please make yourself presentable."

Leaving those words to hang in the air as he turned around, Cody carried Nicolas out of the room, down a hallway, and into another deserted office. Worick followed behind.


	5. A Little Levity

A Little Levity

Cody allowed Nicolas to slip out of his arms and stand on his own feet, albeit weakly. Nicolas slumped against the wall and clutched at his arm, blood dripping from his chin. He sniffled weakly, trying but failing to prevent more blood from leaking.

Cody slammed his hands on either side of Nicolas, leveling his 6 foot frame down to meet Nic's 5 foot 5 inch one.

"How could you do such a stupid thing! That man has more money and influence in his one little finger than you do in your _entire_ body. If I hadn't come in when I did, who knows what stupid things you would have done. You would be spending the next 10 years of your life in prison! I know you're frustrated about what he said about Worick, but you know better than that!"

Nicolas chuckled darkly. "It doesn't even matter anymore. If he expels me, it's the same thing for someone like me. Prison would be preferable." Cody couldn't hide his disappointment and disgust.

"Don't ever say that!" Cody gripped Nic's shoulders and looked at him straight in the eyes. "You have no idea how intelligent you are. The only limitations you have are the ones you put on yourself. Get your head out of your ass and look at everything you've been given! Don't throw that away, even for a second. Worick _doesn't_ want that, and I don't either." Nicolas looked down at his feet, embarrassed. Worick stirred from the corner.

"He's right, Nico." Nicolas did not notice. Using his uninjured hand, Nic did one short sign. Despite Cody's lacking knowledge of ASL signs, he understood this one.

" _Sorry."_

Cody sighed, relieved. He set his forehead down on the top of Nicolas' head, pulling him gently into a hug. Cody mumbled into Nicolas' hair. "That's more like it."

Worick stood watching from the corner. He looked at Nicolas, bemused, noticing how quickly Nicolas' face flushed. Now that everyone was more or less calm, Cody untangled himself from Nic and ruffled his black hair like he did not so long ago.

Cody smiled down at Nicolas. "Alright. Let's patch you up." Cody removed his jacket and untied his tie. Worick laughed out loud at Nicolas' expression when Cody unbuttoned his slightly blood-stained shirt.

"Uh… what are you doing there, teach?" Worick laughed, somehow translating Nic's thoughts without a prompt from any sign language. "Am I going to have to report you?"

"Wh-what?" Cody said, blushing at the implication. "Don't be an idiot." Cody took his shirt and tore off a patch, handing it to Nic to mop up the blood from his face. He then fastened the remains of his shirt into a makeshift sling for Nicolas' arm. Using his tie as the final support, Cody reached behind Nic's head to tie it into a knot.

Nicolas tried to look anywhere but Cody's shirtless chest, and was failing miserably. Worick was smirking at him in an infuriating ' _I told you so'_ kind of way that normally would have received a middle finger from Nic, but Cody's fingers kept gently brushing his neck in a very distracting way.

With sling in place, Cody leaned back to admire his handiwork. Nic was blushing furiously, and Cody couldn't help but blush in return as he realized how close they had been. Clearing his throat, Cody walked to the door.

"I'm going to have a meeting with Chairman Arcangelo now. Let's hope all goes well." Cody smiled, trying to shake off his fear.

Worick and Nic both snapped their heads to Cody. "Mr. Balfour!" Worick interjected.

Nic signed something, as best he could, with his one and a "half" hands.

"He says you're going to lose your job." Worick translated. "He's right.

Cody shook his head and smiled at the pair. "I… already know that. Don't worry. I'll be fine." Cody exited and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Worick let out a long, low whistle once Cody closed the door. "I can't believe he's going to meet my father completely shirtless." Worick said, joking. Nicolas said nothing, and just slid weakly down the wall to sit on the floor. He was covering his face in his unharmed hand.

"What's the matter, tough guy?" Worick walked over and sat beside him, leaning against the wall. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

Nicolas lifted his head, face blushing furiously. " _Did you_ see _how close he was to me?"_ Nic flapped his hand around haphazardly as he signed. " _He was so close. I could smell his aftershave. I almost got a nipple to the eye."_

Worick looked at Nicolas in shock over this uncommon outburst. Stifling laughter, Worick jabbed at Nic's rib cage. "God, Nicolas. When did you get so gay?"

Nicolas smiled and banged the back of his head on the wall a few times. " _When he took off his shirt."_ Nic joked back.

Worick smirked and leaned his head back on the wall. "I knew you were in love with him. But who would have thought he'd have such sculpted abs? I always thought Mr. Balfour looked like a wimp."

Nicolas faintly chuckled. " _Hardly."_

They sat in silence for a few minutes and allowed all the emotions that had surged so strongly for the past half hour or so subside. After finishing his cigarette, Worick stood up. He offered his hand to Nicolas.

"Come on, Nico. Let's go to the nurse."


	6. Scared Shirtless

Scared Shirtless

Cody ordinarily would have felt extremely vulnerable being shirtless like this, but he was still too filled with rage to care. He was beginning to attract attention from the few teachers who had come in on the weekend for whatever reason. Cody himself didn't notice, he was beginning to attract a slight crowd of onlookers. Once he reached the office, he deserted his parade to open the door. He slid in quietly without knocking and respectfully shut the door behind him.

The room had already been meticulously put back together. The only sign that anything had happened in the room just 30 minutes before was a faint stain left on the carpet from the vase being knocked over. That was already drying as well.

"Mr. Arcangelo." Cody said stiffly, standing just inside the room.

"Ah. Mr. Balfour. How… immodest." The chairman was nursing a few bruises on his face as he sat coolly at his desk. "Take a seat."

Cody obliged, sitting directly across from the chairman.

"You do realize that the moment you became involved with students outside of the classroom, you were placed under suspicion. If Worick or Nicolas went to you for help on anything outside of school work, we have no choice but to further inspect your actions as a teacher."

Cody looked outside the window for a moment and considered his response. While Cody knew the chairman was outwardly referring to the incident of today, Cody recognized his insinuation that he was suspicious of 'other' relationships. ' _Well, he's not exactly wrong.'_ Thought Cody. ' _I had a feeling about Nicolas. And his adorable flustered blush, alongside that one sided conversation I heard from Worick outside the room pretty much confirmed it.'_ Cody had been a little bit pleased when he heard the roundabout love confession, but it wasn't something he could think about now.

Cody tapped his finger on the armrest before he spoke. "While I have not done anything prior to today that I think is worthy of suspicion, I accept full responsibility for the incident that occurred earlier today as a result of my getting involved with a student's affairs. And I stand by my actions. I would do them again if it came down to it."

"Oh?" The chairman said bemusedly. "Your career hasn't even begun, yet you have the audacity to think you can make your own decisions about things that don't concern you in the slightest?" The Chairman lifted his hands and propped his chin up. "No matter. I was already planning on terminating your employment here at the end of the year. Though teaching jobs are beginning to come back in demand, I have a feeling you may have a more difficult time finding one after your time here at St. Reginald's."

Cody felt his blood run cold. He knew exactly what Mr. Arcangelo was implying. Even if nothing had happened between Cody and Nicolas in actuality, it doesn't mean rumors couldn't say otherwise. "I...understand what you are saying. What I am more concerned about at the moment, Mr. Arcangelo, is of the academic future of Worick Arcangelo and Nicolas Brown." Cody leaned forward, staring straight into the chairman's eyes.

The chairman looked confused for a moment. He hadn't expected Cody to show fearlessness at his threat. "Ah, I almost forgot about that. Thank you for the reminder." The chairman flicked his eyes to a picture on his desk. It featured the chairman himself, alongside a lovely woman and an young man, about Cody's age. Cody presumed them to be the Chairman's family, without Worick. Worick did not show any likeness to the other people in the photo, other than his father.

"Worick… or should I say, Wallace, has brought nothing but shame to my household." Cody couldn't help but mentally scoff at that.

"Everything he does has the potential to bring negative attention to my family and my businesses. Everything I've done for him has been to keep him from opening his mouth too wide. I went along with his charades in allowing that lowbrow friend of his to attend this academy for that reason. I realize now that it was a mistake. Because of Wallace's imprudence I have no choice but to expel his friend. It's a shame too, this close to graduation. As soon as Wallace graduates, he will be shipped overseas to one of the finest universities in Spain, out of Nicolas' sight. And coincidentally, out of mine as well." The chairman smiled cruelly.

Cody sat in silence. All knew that Nicolas would struggle without a high school degree. And, while Worick's fate seemed to be decent on surface level, he didn't let it fool him. No doubt this wasn't what Worick wanted, and even if it was, Cody could sense this was only the beginning of a life filled with pre-formed decisions moulding Worick's life.

Cody finally spoke. "I disagree." He said, simply.

Mr. Arcangelo tilted his head to the side. "You disagree."

"I do." Cody said.

"Please teach me why, Mr. Balfour." The chairman said in a mocking tone.

"I will. First of all, you're the fool who didn't know how to properly use a condom. Strike one." Cody could faintly hear a familiar stifled snort of mirth outside the room. ' _Was that..?'_ Cody wondered to himself if the person was who he thought it was. ' _I hope the chairman didn't notice that.'_ He continued.

"Secondly, even after you were blessed to have the incredible son as intelligent, as amusing, and as caring as you did, you made him out to be something he's not. Someone who, in your mind, was only out to ruin your family name. Strike two." The chairman looked at Cody, with the slightest spark of concern behind his eyes. "Finally, once you had warped Worick into believing he was as insignificant as you wanted him to be, you constantly abused him in the name of 'keeping him in line'. In actuality, Worick would never had any reason to speak out against you, had you not treated him badly to begin with. Strike three."

"Is that all, Mr. Balfour?" The chairman asked incredulously. "What a complete waste of my time-"

"I wasn't finished yet." Cody said, some of his carefully bottled rage seeping out. "I have some requests of my own that I need met in order to keep myself from 'accidentally' conducting an investigation into the matter of your domestic abuse."

"Hold on. This wasn't open to discussion. You're just one person. And, you'll be discredited soon enough. Who will listen to you when you yourself have been placed under suspicion for sexual abuse of one of your own students?"

Cody considered this statement for a second. He could see the truth in the chairman's words.

Cody suddenly remembered the laugh from behind the door. It was a risk, but he decided to take it. "Well, I don't know." He stood up and walked backwards to the door. "Maybe no one. Or maybe…" Cody opened the door behind him. Directly beside the door was Chad Adkins, who had been leaning against the wall listening the entire time, smoking indoors.

"What the-! Dammit Cody, you startled me." Cody smiled at Chad, who was scratching his head sheepishly. To Cody's surprise, beyond Chad, there was a crowd of about 10 other staff and administrators who had heard the whole thing. Perhaps walking around shirtless got the right attention after all.

"I think you need some thicker walls." Cody said, returning to stand behind his chair with Chad in tow. The other staff anxiously walked in as well. Some seemed nervous, but many looked angry.

The chairman stood up and slammed his hands onto the desk. "You can't be serious! You aren't all going to act like you know what this is about - this man SEXUALLY ASSAULTED one of the students at this academy." The chairman pointed and yelled at Cody. "For God's sake, he's not even wearing a shirt. He was caught in the act!" Chad chuckled at this statement.

"Chairman, you can't be serious. Just look at him - Cody's never gotten laid in his life." The crowd of teachers laughed, and Cody flushed at this statement.

"N-not true! I-I mean…" Cody flapped his hands around, as he always did when he became flustered. ' _Well… partially true. Does third base count?"_ Cody shook his head. "A-anyway, that's not even relevant. Everyone here heard what you said, Chairman! They know you're only making that up to cover up _your own_ abuse. You might as well listen to my demands, even if it's likely they won't be relevant after all." Cody looked to the teachers for support, and they nodded him on. Chad clapped him on the back in encouragement.

"One. You will allow me to finish my student teaching job here and then release me _without_ spreading lies about my reputation. Two. You will allow Nicolas and Worick to graduate without incident. Three. _You will turn yourself in to the authorities so they can investigate your character further._ "

The chairman looked around the room, enraged. "You- you can't even joke about that! You lot- you're really believing this from a criminal? I'm alarmed that I ever hired such idiots in the first place. Mr. Snyder-" the chairman gestured to one of the more nervous, unsure teachers of the bunch. "Go call 911 right now and get this messed up lunatic out of my sight!" Mr. Snyder looked down and avoided eye contact.

"Alright now. Chairman Arcangelo, you're just making a fool of yourself. Why don't you come with me." Chad Adkins grabbed the chairman's arm and escorted him out of the room.

The room filled with the chatters of the other teachers, discussing what had just happened. Cody sighed, his heart rate finally returning to normal.

Looking down at his bare chest, Cody realized something. "I'm...cold." Cody said aloud. He grinned when some of the teachers laughed at his silly statement. Giving his thanks, Cody left the other teachers.

Walking back to his office, Cody had quite a few things to sort through. All the papers that still needed to be graded, for one. He also wanted to find a way to help Worick with the new changes in his future that surely we're going to come around, now that the chairman would be removed from his life. And the third thing.

"What am I to do about Nicolas Brown?"


	7. Straight up Angst

Straight up Angst

After the incident, it took weeks for the school to settle down again. Gossip traveled faster than light, and before long there were multiple versions of the story going around, each more ridiculous than the last. Nicolas and Worick acclimated to this just fine, and were probably the source of half of the tall tales.

Of course, all the sensitive details were changed. Instead of an abusive father and corrupt businessman, the tale turned into two brave students sticking it to the man and saving the school from the principal no one liked. Cody was completely cut out of almost every version of the story (thankfully), except for one that went a little too in depth over how naked and apparently cowardly he was. Cody had Worick to thank for that one. It wasn't long before there wasn't a student at St. Reginald's, freshman or otherwise, who didn't know who Nic and Worick were.

Their new legendary status became quite a bother to Cody, as unknown students would occasionally interrupt class when they saw the two of them sitting near each other as they passed in the hallway. However, despite the shameful story being spread about him, and the frustrating freshman interrupting class, Cody was relieved to see the two of them laughing as they had before.

As the weeks went by, Cody watched and admired the two boys from afar, he still couldn't quite decide what to think. Especially about Nicolas. Eventually, the constant questioning and analyzing drove Cody to avoid talking to Nicolas as often as possible. This continued for quite a while.

* * *

Early spring blossomed into late spring, then lazily shifted to early summer. Cody laid on his bed one night, 100% naked, and 100% exhausted. The summer heat had set in quite early, even though there was still a few weeks of school left. Work had been difficult the past few days. Senioritis was beginning to plague even the most studious of Cody's class members.

"Ugh." Cody groaned. He was beginning to feel the senioritis himself, to tell the truth. "Ughhhhh." He put his hands behind his head and let out a huge lungful of air.

"What do I do." Cody still hadn't been able to make up his mind on how he felt about Nicolas Brown. One of the problems with summer coming so early before graduation, was how Cody couldn't help but lose concentration more often. This frequently led him to find that his thoughts had wandered yet again to a certain enigma, the short black haired prankster.

Though Cody had avoided coming in contact with Nicolas face to face, there had been many moments during his days where he couldn't help but think about Nicolas. While sitting at his desk during class, Cody would realize he had been staring straight at Nicolas for who knows how long. When Cody was grading papers, if he encountered an assignment that had Nicolas' tell-tale cursive-esque scrawl, it was too easy to slip into thinking about him for minutes without realizing it, further lengthening Cody's desk work after hours. And perhaps most unnerving was how Cody could watch Nicolas do any task, no matter how small, and become absorbed by his striking features.

"No matter how much I think about it, I always come up empty handed." Cody groaned again. "Ugh! You big stupid nerd! Just figure out how you feel already!"

If only make matters worse, Cody knew _beyond a shadow of a doubt_ that Nicolas… _liked him._ Or at least he had when Cody accidentally overheard Worick and Nicolas talking about it. And though learning of this had secretly pleased Cody, thinking about it ended up being a burden to his mind. As if it wasn't hard enough for Cody to keep himself from casually flirting or going out of his way to talk with him, now that he knew that Nicolas liked him, it was almost impossible. Cody had already spent hours thinking about the situation in every angle he could think of.

"It shouldn't matter if he likes you, Cody. Snap out of it. Even if Nicolas is eighteen. _Even if_ you're only four years older than him. He's still your student. It's still wrong!" However, even as Cody ran that mantra through his head for the fiftieth time that week, he was still dissatisfied with the answer.

' _But what if it's okay.'_ Said a tiny voice in his head. As much as Cody wanted to believe that tiny voice, he still couldn't, not yet. Cody fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

As students filed into his 12th grade literature class the next day, Cody watched with apprehension. When Nicolas himself strode through the door, laughing with Worick, Cody's mind went nearly blank.

' _It's okay.'_

Cody had no idea where the thought had came from, but as soon as it entered his head, it left from where it came from.

Nicolas noticed Cody's zoned out countenance and abruptly stopped. He elbowed Worick.

" _What's wrong, teach?"_ Nicolas signed, then Worick translated.

Snapping out of it, Cody chuckled and blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing, really. I mean something. But not really anything." ' _Smooth.'_

Nicolas looked confused, but then gave a slight smile.

" _I'll help if I can. Least I can do."_ Nicolas nodded at Worick for him to translate.

"He says that he would do _anything_ for you, teach. Anything." Nicolas looked at Worick with a faint frown.

"Is that so?" Cody forced himself to smile at Nic. What Cody really wanted was for that adorable face to go sit down and stop distracting him.

"It is. He would help you grade papers…" Worick nodded seriously. Nic raised his eyebrow. "...Or he could pay you back with his body."

Cody blushed at the very thought, but before he could react in any other way, Nicolas punched Worick so hard he tripped over his own feet and fell. Nicolas looked out the window and ran his hand over the back of his head. Cody tried to avoid eye contact, but couldn't help but notice the slight blush on his cheeks.

As Worick picked himself up from the ground, Cody laughed awkwardly. "...Thanks Worick, for the addition. I understood what you meant. Thanks for your concern, Nicolas." Cody, almost out of habit, reached out his hand to ruffle Nic's hair.

' _It's okay.'_

The thought came again, this time piercing. Cody yelled back in his mind, ' _It's NOT OKAY.'_

Cody was overwhelmed with the conflicting thoughts as he forcefully pried his hand away. "Sorry. Go have a seat, class is starting." Nicolas and Worick looked at each other and went to sit down. Cody collapsed in his chair and looked at Nic's retreating back with regret. Why did he do that? What even was the point?

"This is exhausting!" Cody leaned his forehead against his palm. After a moment of feeling just how ridiculous the entire situation was, he chuckled to himself, baffled at this too-late realization. He absentmindedly touched his chest where his heart would be. "All this time I've been stressing out about this, but it doesn't even matter if it's "okay" or not. What does that even mean, anyway? Whatever happens is what happens." Cody sighed with relief. "I'm finally done with this."

Cody moved on to teaching the lesson without further incident, allowing himself to get excited by the literature as he usually did. Things were looking up for Cody.

* * *

Nic and Worick sat beside each other, pretending to pay attention to Cody's lesson.

" _Wow. That was harsh, eh Nic?"_ Worick signed stealthily to Nicolas, using his hands beneath his desk when he could.

Nicolas watched his signs then flicked his eyes away.

" _Hey. HEY!"_ Nic was watching wearily once again. " _We're almost graduated. You've only got so much time left."_ After Nicolas once again ignored him, Worick, using less subtle tactics, signed " _WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?"_

Nicolas rolled his eyes. " _It doesn't seem like he's paying attention to me anymore. You've noticed too."_ Nic turned away, and stared directly at Cody.

Worick waited for a few moments, and was beginning to turn away at the perceived end of the conversation when Nicolas added,

" _Ever since that day where he put your father in his place, he's put a distance between me and him. I think it's because…"_ Nic stopped, then started again. " _I think he… I think he heard what you were telling me after he left… about…"_ Nicolas stopped, and then stared straight at the chalkboard, pretending he never signed anything.

Worick understood immediately what Nic was alluding to. The conversation Worick and Nic had shared after Cody patched up Nic's arm and headed out to confront Worick's father. Worick teased Nic about how in love Nic was with the student teacher. If Cody had heard this conversation, it would explain the distance he put between himself and Nic. After all, students and teachers together was quite a taboo, even if the teacher was only a "student" teacher. Worick frowned, crossed his arms, and slouched in his chair.

' _And just when Nicolas found somebody who made him happy.'_

* * *

Authors Note: This chapter was really hard for me to write for some reason. Once I finish the whole thing I might go back and edit this chapter better. Thank you for your reviews and favorites!


	8. Cody Returns the Favor

Cody Returns the Favor

Cody was finally freed from the robotic face he had forced himself to wear for the past few months. Though he still wasn't entirely sure how he felt about a certain Nicolas Brown, he no longer worried about whether or not he should talk to him, or how he ought to feel as a teacher.

"At this point… I guess whatever happens is what happens." Cody spoke aloud to himself, habitually flicking his pen around his thumb as he leaned back at his desk. It was evening, and he had accidentally let his mind wander once again to Nicolas. A few weeks earlier, Cody had surprisingly felt regret at not ruffling the Nicolas' hair as he had felt urged to. As a result of this, he snapped out of his worry at whether or not it was acceptable just because of the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

"What worries me now… is the lack of pranks." Cody flicked his pen a little too aggressively, and it swung around and hit him in the eye then fell to the floor. Rubbing his eye, Cody thought about how Nicolas and Worick were for once leaving him alone to teach his lessons in peace.

"I wonder why that is. Is everything okay?" Cody leaned over to pick up his pen and pondered this. Though when he first began teaching at St. Reginald's, he would have given anything for Nicolas to stop pranking him. As he had grown more fond of the young man, he grew fond of the comedic relief as well. And at this point, the lack of pranks was becoming alarming. Something was definitely up with his favorite young prankster, and Cody wanted to find out.

The next day during class, Cody paid special attention to Nicolas.

' _This is purely for observational research.'_ Cody told himself, as he admired the powerful jaw line of the young man as he faced the window during work time. Nicolas yawned and lifted his arms in a stretch, and Cody couldn't help but trail his eyes down Nicolas' fit form. The hem of his shirt lifted ever so slightly, revealing his lower abs that melted perfectly to his hip flexors, creating a shapely "V" down to his jeans. ' _Yes. Purely observational.'_ Cody shivered and hid a faint blush, diving back into grading papers.

Besides providing Cody with plenty of eye-candy, Nicolas' outside seemed perfectly normal. Despite the normalcy of Nic's expressions and mannerisms, however, Cody couldn't help but notice how much more dull his eyes seemed. When they first met, Cody speaking over-zealousy to himself in his car, Nicolas had watched him with eyes full of bemused interest. Whenever Nicolas spoke to Cody after they had become acquainted, Nicolas had shown excitement and even shared a few rare smiles. And of course, the absence of pranks was enough of an indicator of Nicolas' new despondency.

By the end of class, Cody still had not come up with a single good hypothesis of why Nicolas was acting so strangely. If anything serious had happened, Worick likely would have told Cody. Whatever it was that was bothering Nic, Cody was unable to crack the code. Frustrated, Cody grabbed his pen and rooted around in his desk for something.

"Perfect!" Cody whispered to himself, once he secured what he was looking for. Scrawling a concise note, Cody nodded once at his handiwork and immediately crumpled the note he wrote on into a small ball. The bell rang for the class' dismissal. Nicolas passed by, avoiding eye contact. Cody, who had already prepared the perfect trajectory, flicked his crumpled yellow note towards the short young man. It hit him in the ear.

With lightening fast reflexes, Nicolas caught the crumpled notel before it hit the ground.

"Consider this." Cody said with a smile, tilting his head to the side.

Nicolas rubbed his ear and looked at the paper in his hand. He exited without saying anything.

Worick caught up to Nicolas in the hallway.

"What was all that about?" Worick said, concealing his delight at the interaction between his friend and the student teacher.

Nicolas looked away from Worick and ignored him, uncrumpling the paper.

" _where are the pranks?"_

Stifling a blush and a giggle, Nicolas held the paper between his left index and middle finger, towards Worick. Worick snatched it out of his hand and punched Nicolas affectionately in the shoulder.

"Well done, Nicolas. It looks like you're back in business!" Worick tucked the note in Nic's collar. "You better hold on to this. For scrapbooking purposes." Worick snickered.

Nicolas nodded, surprised at this gesture made by the previously distanced student teacher. ' _Why did he go so far to try to ignore me before?'_ Nicolas thought to himself. He was not displeased by any means, but it was sudden. Nicolas shook his head and grinned that devilish grin of his.

"I think we're thinking the same thing, aren't we?" Worick grinned excitedly, and put his arm around Nic's shoulders.

" _Doubtful."_ Nicolas signed back.

"No, I know you. You're thinking about what pranks to do next." Worick squeezed Nic's shoulders with his arm. Worick had missed pulling pranks on Cody, even if it had only been a week or two since they had left him alone.

" _Close."_ Nicolas signed back. Nicolas HAD been thinking of a prank, but not just any prank. ' _If this prank goes well,'_ Nicolas thought to himself, ' _Mr. Balfour won't stand a chance.'_


	9. Finally

Things get a _little_ hot and heavy. This is the final chapter in this story line. Thank you for reading!

* * *

Finally

The rest of the school year ended before anyone could realize how fast it had been. Cody had grown close to all the boys in his senior class. He loved their enthusiasm, their humor, and their surprising kindness. Cody had only been prepared to teach the subject he loved as a teacher, and hadn't expected to grow as close to his students as he had. But there Cody was, standing at the graduation ceremony, trying and failing to keep a few tears from rolling down his cheek. He was so proud of all of his students.

"Worick Arcangelo." One of the first to be called, the young, white-blond boy with an eyepatch stepped up to the stand. Once he grabbed his diploma and shook the hand of the substitute chairman, he turned to face Cody and grinned. He raised his diploma to the sky and bowed graduating seniors laughed at this gesture, but Cody knew why it was directed to him and smiled. Cody had done a lot for Worick in his semester at St. Reginald's, and because of him Worick's future was bright now.

After a few more minutes of other graduates being called, one name very familiar to Cody echoed across the seated audience.

"Nicolas Brown." Nicolas stepped up to the stand to grab his diploma. He looked uncomfortable in the silly graduation robes all the students were wearing. When he made eye contact with Cody Balfour, he stared straight at him and raised his diploma in a salute. Most of the senior boys laughed yet again, but the other boys in Cody's literature class all turned to face Cody as well. Much like a prank performed at Cody's expense earlier in the school year, Worick took the initiative to mirror Nicolas and stood up, honoring Cody with another salute. Worick wore a goofy grin on his face. One by one, the other boys in Cody's class stood up, all of them chuckling and making pronounced goofy salutes. Cody laughed at this display, and waved them a dismissal. Nicolas tipped his head to Cody with a wink and exited the stand. A few teachers raised their eyebrows at the apparent celebrity-status the student teacher had attained in only one semester at St. Reginald's. Cody smiled at the back of Nicolas' head, remembering all the hell Nicolas had put him through, and how he had secretly loved every moment of it.

For the duration of the graduation name calling, Cody watched on with a gleeful smile plastered to his face. Cody knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was going to be a teacher for the rest of his life. Though there had been many hard times, and scary times, and times where he thought his job would fall apart before his eyes, it had all been worth it. It had all been worth it for the academics, the literature, and most of all, the young men he was able to teach.

* * *

The end of the ceremony came too quick, and the boys started to file out to meet their loved ones. Cody shook hands with the boys he was close with, hugging some, and congratulating all. After the majority of his class had said goodbye to him, Nicolas and Worick were still nowhere to be found. Cody became anxious at the thought of being unable to say goodbye to the two pupils who had affected him the most. 20 minutes or so passed, and Cody stood, alone, in the grand entrance of St. Reginald's, only a few students and family still ambling around the hallway.

Sighing, Cody took a step out from the wall he had been leaning on, prepared to return to his living quarters and begin the unwanted task of packing up to leave St. Reginald's. He hadn't been hired to return the next year as a proper teacher, and Cody knew he would miss everything about the school. Disappointed and alone, Cody left the entrance area and slipped down the hallway, going in the direction of his campus office. Cody was halfway down the science hallway when something suddenly jumped on his back and pushed him to an open closet door.

"What the hell!?" Cody shouted in surprise. The door closed before he could see who the culprits were. There was only a moment of silence before he could hear the familiar unbridled laughter of two pranksters.

"Nic, if only you could hear the sound of his voice-" Worick said, cracking up. Nicolas had a hoarse laughter that Cody found irresistible. Though he had been angry and a little embarrassed at the prank, he couldn't help but find those emotions melting in gratitude that he was able to properly say goodbye to the two of them, even if he was in a closet.

"I'm not too happy about this," Cody started, shaking the door handle. Worick signed what Cody was saying to Nic, who was unable to read his lips through the closet door. Nicolas laughed at how cordial that beginning was. "but, I'll at least say that I'm really, really, unbelievably proud of you two boys. And…" Cody stopped for a moment. "I'll miss you guys."

Worick and Nicolas laughed. Cody became a little cross at the young men, who didn't seem to be taking his honest confession seriously.

Worick interrupted. "Ayyy, teach! Slow down, slow down! There's no need to get mushy on us. I may be going abroad soon, but I do have a cell phone, I know how to keep in touch." Cody laughed from behind the science closet door.

"This is probably the least thought out prank I've ever experienced, and you both know I've experienced a lot from you two. Come on, let me out!" Worick laughed. A small piece of paper was slipped beneath the crack in the door with a phone number, and a small "W" written in the corner.

"Alright, teach. I have to get going before my "mom" gets too excited at my absence. Text me when you figure a way to get out." Worick laughed and Cody could hear footsteps leading away from the area.

"Huh?" Cody exclaimed. "Wait- you can't seriously be leaving me in here!" Cody pounded on the door. He was still laughing but kind of worried.

"Alright, go! Go now." Worick said in a hush. The footsteps left completely. Cody exhaled. A silence stretched for a moment, and Cody could feel Nicolas' presence on the other side of the door. After a moment, Cody could hear the lock turn in the handle, and the door creak open. Nicolas, looking smug, closed the door quietly behind him.

* * *

Cody had struggled often in the past few months, in reference to Nicolas Brown, about what Cody should do about him. They both knew they were interested in each other, but before - the student/teacher dynamic seemed to be too wide of a canyon to cross. Here, standing in the dim light of the closet, Nicolas had already changed out of his graduation gown, and was now wearing a wide-necked black T shirt and jeans. No longer student and teacher, they were just two young men.

Cody could feel the heat rising to his cheeks at the sight of the handsome young man standing before him. Nicolas had not done or said anything yet, except for stare at Cody. Finally, he signed something even Cody's limited ASL could decipher.

" _I love you."_ Cody slumped down the wall and sat, placing one hand to the side of his head.

"Nicolas, this is really too much." Cody tried to suppress the customary fluster that was beginning to crowd his mind. He laughed at the situation. This moment had played out too often in Cody's brain over the past weeks, but he had tried to brush it off before he became too sucked into the fantasy. Now that it was really happening, Cody didn't know what to do.

" _I love you."_ Nicolas signed again, this time looking at the door, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. ' _Damn. I shouldn't have started with that. He's probably all freaked out now.'_ Nicolas thought to himself. He was too deep now though, he couldn't go back after signing that phrase twice. Kneeling down, Nicolas placed himself to only be a foot away from Cody's face. He looked into his eyes, both of their cheeks completely flushed.

Cody couldn't ignore how _sexy_ this 18 year old boy somehow managed to be.

"I… adore you." Cody said in a husky voice. He looked down at one of Nicolas' hand, placed on Cody's thigh.

Nicolas' heart leapt, seeing those words formed on Cody's perfect lips. Overcome with happiness, he crashed his lips into Cody's. Cody's eyes widened in surprise. The two separated after a moment.

"You haven't kissed anyone before, have you." Cody finally managed to say. He laughed, and Nicolas faux punched Cody in the chest in embarassment.

"Shut up." Nicolas said in his rough voice. Cody could tell that much was true, and his heart tightened at how adorable Nicolas was.

"Don't worry," Cody said. "I know how to teach more than literature." Nicolas blushed at the insinuation, but was pulled back to meet Cody's lips before he could think of anything to say or do.

It took a few moments for the two young men to be adjusted to the kissing. Nicolas was a complete novice, but Cody coached him slowly. After getting used to just moving their lips against the others, Cody swept his tongue swiftly across Nic's teeth. Nicolas returned the favor. Cody's soft lips left Nic's for a moment and trailed down his neck and back up again, and Nicolas did the same. Cody gently led Nicolas' body to straddle his own, and allowed his hands to creep up Nicolas' shirt. Nicolas began unbuttoning Cody's shirt. Before long, Nicolas stopped mirroring Cody's kissing queues and acted on his own.

' _God, Nic is already really good at this.'_ Cody thought, fleetingly, as Nicolas kissed Cody's now-exposed collarbones. Nicolas moved his hands off of Cody's chest and brushed down his abs. Cody began to lift Nicolas' shirt higher and higher, and, taking the hint, Nicolas broke apart from Cody long enough to take off his own shirt. Cody was almost blinded by the fit chest now exposed to him, and pulled Nicolas as close to him as was possible, their two exposed chests feeling the heat of the others flesh.

Cody tangled his hands into Nicolas' hair.

"I really do love you, too." Cody breathlessly murmured against Nic's lips. Nicolas couldn't see what Cody said, but he could feel the movement of his lips. Overcome with passion, Nicolas began kissing more forcefully, and sank even deeper into his straddled position. His hands, which had been holding Cody's sides, moved to let his thumbs disappear beneath Cody's waistband, stroking Cody's pronounced hip bones.

Cody's thoughts became jumbled together and he couldn't help but let out a small moan at this change. ' _Nicolas is definitely too sexy for his own good.'_ As if to prove this thought Cody had, Nicolas trailed his hands up to Cody's arms and pinned them to the wall, grinding even more on him.

Cody moaned once more at Nic's touch, but he knew he had to keep his resolve. He sighed at the inevitable. Slowly untangling himself from Nic, Cody pushed the young man off of him gently. Nicolas was flushed and definitely having a hard time dissipating his excitement.

Breathing heavily, Nicolas knelt away from Cody. Seeing Cody's expression, he grabbed his forgotten shirt and began to put it back on. "What's wrong?" Nicolas said, his rough voice not betraying the embarrassment on his face. ' _Did I go too far?'_ he thought to himself.

Cody groaned, slumped heavily against the wall, trying and failing to control his heart rate. "Aghhhhghgh.." Cody whimpered. "You have no idea how much I want you right now." Cody said, laughing. Cody began to button his shirt back up. "We're in the science closet." He said matter of factly.

Nicolas laughed. "We are." He was relieved that the feeling was mutual, that he wasn't the only one who wanted to keep going.

"I have to go to the end of year Teacher's party, and I'd rather not talk to Chad right after having sex with one of my students." Cody said, scratching the back of his head. Even though he knew it no longer mattered, and that Nicolas wasn't even a student of his anymore, saying it out loud seemed very wrong.

"Mr. Adkins would probably notice right away." Nicolas said with a laugh. "You're so transparent… Cody." Nicolas said Cody's name outright for the first time. Standing up, he lent Cody a hand.

Cody chuckled at Nic. "He probably would." Cody embraced Nicolas, and the two shared their first hug as a couple. Cody kissed Nicolas one more time. "You leave first. I need a moment to cool down." Cody said. Nicolas left the closet, and Cody leaned against the wall, forearm over his eyes.

"Oh God." Cody finally said. That was probably the hardest thing he'd ever had to say no to. "We can fix that soon, though…" Cody said to himself. He tucked the number from Worick into his back pocket and smiled. Cody rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, fixed his hair as best as he could, and let his shirt-tails hang out. Cody's future seemed to be brighter than it had been in a long time.

Cody reached for the closet door handle. It was locked.

"NICOLAS!" Cody yelled. A rough voice laughed from the hallway.


End file.
